Limestone in Brazil: the challenge of increasing consumption and generating business

The celebration of National Agricultural Limestone Day, on May 24, draws attention to a product with pent-up demand, due to a lack of information from farmers. However, actions by the federal government and states will seek to increase limestone consumption in the country in the coming years, precisely because of the history of acidic soils in Brazil.

In this post, we will talk a little more about this soil amendment, mainly used in tropical countries. Among its benefits are abundant harvests and less use of chemicals in food production.

The market is attractive in the country, given that consumption is still below ideal. However, a production line needs to be based on robust and reliable equipment from suppliers such as Máquinas Furlan, which have experience in projects and constant investments in improvements.

Stay with us and learn how limestone can be another final product for your mining company.

Calcium intake needs to be higher

The consumption of agricultural limestone in Brazil is growing at a slower rate than the need to correct soil acidity. The association of industries that produce this type of corrective, Abracal, shows that national agribusiness applied 4.2% more of the corrective last year, compared to 2021.

The consumption of 57 million tons in 2022 shows a market that could be much larger. For Abracal, the ideal would be between 70 and 80 million tons.

Due to its formation, Brazilian soil is acidic. Around 80% of the land suffers from this problem, which affects productivity in the field and reduces the weight of animals in the pasture. Even in areas with abundant harvests, such as Mato Grosso and Goiás, productivity could be better.

There are many reasons for suboptimal applications. One of them is the use of old formulas, researched when climate change was not as intense and rainfall was more regular.

The federal government study includes the calculation in the National Fertilizer Plan, since, without correcting soil acidity, fertilizer tends to yield less. States such as Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo must also adopt incentives to correct soil acidity.

Especially because, recently, there was a reduction of up to 10% in the volume of fertilizers applied in the country, given that prices have risen significantly – due to the conflict in Ukraine. Brazil imports a large part of the fertilizers consumed.

As a rule, limestone is applied weeks before planting. Another good time for sales occurs when the planted area is being renewed – in the case of sugarcane.

What equipment to use in a limestone quarry

Basically, limestone is ground stone. There are approximately 400 industries producing it in Brazil. Along with remineralization (also called rock), it is a business opportunity for mining companies. The trend is for consumers to increasingly seek natural foods.

The benefits include mining. There are limestone deposits in several regions of the country. The agribusiness market, the main consumer, is also experiencing good times, both due to domestic consumption and to Brazil's leading role in the world's food supply.

In most projects, the plants feature equipment such as:

. Vibrating Feeders;

. Jaw Crushers;

. Cone or Jaw Crushers;

. Hammer Mills;

. Belt Conveyors;

. and Vibrating Screens.

It is possible to generate several end products in a plant that produces limestone and rock. For example: there are Furlan customers that simultaneously supply gravel for civil construction.

Machines in the plant need to be robust

The characteristics of production, in a very challenging environment, lead mining companies to consider an equipment supplier that prioritizes operational efficiency. This virtue is only achieved when the machines that process the ore are robust.

That is why Máquinas Furlan stands out. The company began its activities providing services to a limestone industry in 1962. A large part of its portfolio is prepared to be adopted in the generation of limestone powder.

Over the course of its 61 years of activity, Furlan has also developed expertise in parts to improve the quality of the supply of wear parts for repair. Major investments have been made in the alloy production line.

Technical Assistance and services – such as training for machine operators – are other Furlan differentials. More recently, plant automation was added to the list of these services, based on a project developed in partnership with a client in the limestone industry.

The report also shows Furlan's new developments. It can serve a mining company with individual equipment, but also develop the design of a complete plant.

Now that we know more about this important, genuinely national product, we would like to congratulate the industries on Agricultural Limestone Day.

The next task will be a conversation between your mining company and the Furlan team, to detail how to operate or expand an agricultural corrective production plant with high efficiency and safety. Contact us here .